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Monday, July 13, 2009

JapadogVancouver's not exactly known for a having a thriving street food scene (unlike NYC with its 3000 food carts). But in the last few years, this Japanese hotdog vendor has developed an impressive cult following. And these aren't your standard dirty water dogs - Japadog serves fat juicy wieners (smokies, bratwursts, even turkey and veggie dogs) slathered with Japanese condiments. There's just no stopping Japadog, they've just opened their 3rd location in downtown Vancouver!

The lunchtime lineup was at least 15 people deep when we arrived at their original location at Smithe & Burrard:

Super juicy dog that 'snaps' when you bite into it, a little sweet from the drizzle of teriyaki sauce, little salty from the umami-rich nori strips, rounded out nicely with creamy mayo. But a huge mess to eat on a windy day, I had seaweed strips stuck in my hair and teriyaki sauce and pork juice dribbling down my on my chin.

Tenku BakudanyakiLocated only a short drive from the Vancouver airport, in a desolate Richmond parking lot kitty-corner to Fitness World and populated with giant clay pots, you'll find a cute little yatai (mobile food stall) selling bakudanyaki, giant Japanese fritters stuffed with no less than 7 ingredients.

Bakudanyaki are like takoyaki on steriods, a little crispy on the outside, doughy and savory on the inside, topped with Japanese mayo and bonito flakes. From what I could tell, the main difference between the menu items are the flavored mayos drizzled on top. Having only a couple minutes, I asked the friendly cook to pick his favorite one for me, and he chose wasabi mayo. $5 for one bakudanyaki, packaged in a cute takeout container:

No time to eat it there - we were en route to our friend Ginger's house (actually kinda relieved I didn't have to eat it outside, those dancing bonito flakes would most certainly have ended up trapped in my big hair). A peak inside the container:

And right before it was dissected into pieces (and yes, it's as big as a chimpanzee!):

Sorry, forgot to take photos of the colorful doughy insides, we were in a rush to go out for dim sum (more eating -YAY!). But the bakudanyaki was filled with yummy surprises - a variety of colorful fish/seafood cakes, crunchy cabbage, ginger, even a quail egg! Topped with wasabi mayo, a sweetunagitype sauce, and those whisper-thin bonito flakes. Comforting, messy, and definitely fun to try!

Heavenly Housewife: Aw...shucks, thanks so much for the award! And if you wanted some of that bakudanyaki, all you had to do was ask :) p.s. you'd better not let Bobo the Chimp hear you call him a 'monkey', he's prone to having fits

Gigi: The Okonomi looks really good - I'm so jealous you might be having it for lunch :) Maybe it's a good thing I don't live there because I probably would go there everyday (that and the poutine would do me in for sure!)

I finally discovered what could very well be the only gourmet food truck in all of the Twin Cities and you bring on Japadog! Then, I'm still trying to figure out where I can find takoyaki and you hit me with bakudanyaki. I'm at "Infant" level on the foodie cred rating compared to you.

Tangled Noodle: LOL - I've never been one of those 'skinny girls' but I guess part of my secret is that I split everything with hubby so we can try more stuff. It also helps to wear sweat pants ;)So...a gourmet food truck in the twin cities? Another reason to visit your neck of the woods! And you are far too kind with your comments - you're so high on the foodie cred scale, I often look to YOUR blog for foodie guidance!